While Nicole is innately attuned to magical energies, it is her battle armor, Bellios, which allows her to focus those energies into the powers she uses as a superhero. Once an old and storied magical heirloom, her work on the armor has made it something more, creating within its essence a platform that applies both centuries of tradition and cutting-edge methodologies integrated in a dialectic unity. Bellios usually manifests her powers in set systems with a technological bent, as befitting her interests.

Yet it is a thing as much of magic as the material world. Intersecting rune arrays tun electrical currents through chiseled patterns in the armor plates. Targeting spirits line up her machineguns and missile batteries as a handcrafted dimension, metaphysically tuned and coupled to Bellios, feeds alchemically-imbued ammunition to sate its voracious appetite for firepower.

History:

Spoiler

Seek Knowledge. Wield Power.

Those were the words Nicole lived by most of her life. It was the words the Whitfield family has lived by and died for for hundreds of years, since the first Whitfields arrived in the Americas to gamble their fortune as plantation owners, since even before then as they lived like nobles in the Old World. These words were writ in gold-plated letters above every door and fireplace in the Whitfield grounds, so that each member of the family may remember the reason for their existence. The Whitfields were many and spread across the world, as befitting a venerable and wealthy family, but those Whitfields who called California their home were those who could trace their ancestry straight and true. The purest and oldest. The heirs of a legacy that was yet to come.

It was this life and lineage, which Nicole was birthed to, third eldest among five siblings. As a younger sibling, she was not expected to inherit much and neither was much expected from her. She was left to her own devices, made busy with everything old money could buy. Servants in livery, the most expensive toys and gadgets, the richest food served in multiple course meals, yet she felt little, if any, parental love as a young child. She wandered the halls of the mansion alone, a small child who barely reached the waist of any adult, under the paintings of her ancestors, their eyes watchful and austere in the low light. Her parents were much too busy to take time off for her, always managing their holdings and grooming James, her eldest sibling when they were not travelling or locked inside their individual studies.

Lauren, her older sister was sent to study in boarding school before Nicole could remember, and at the times the two met, they were even more distant to each other than she and James. Perhaps then, this would have been a sad life, a childhood with little friends and love, but her personal caretaker took a liking for the young Whitfield, and it was from there that Nicole had experienced a semblance of warmth from another. Elizabeth Leon, her caretaker, took her under her wing, and began to go above and beyond the duties of a servant of Whitfield in attending to her charge’s needs. She was there whenever Nicole needed her - as her only playmate in games of tea or house, a shoulder to cry on when either Father or Mother scolded her for her childish antics, or as the one to tuck her into bed, telling her fairy tales until she fell asleep.

The years flew by and Nicole would grow to adolescence, soon sharing the mansion with two younger siblings, Gregory and Belle, yet like her older siblings spent less and less time with them as she grew older and was sent to an English boarding school. It was also during this time that she drew her parents’ interest. She was a genius among a family which prided itself on producing geniuses, and her intelligence was obvious for anyone with eyes to see. She soaked up information like a sponge and understood lectures meant for students a decade her senior, the many lonely hours she spent pouring over her family library now had paid off, and she had not stopped. Time and time again a servant or janitor would spy the library doors ajar, faint lights open in hours that ghosts roamed awake. They were how she spent her idle time when not with Elizabeth or playing with Gregory and Belle, and neither did she feel a recluse in boarding school, not as much as she did within the Whitfield grounds.

There she had other girls to gossip with, cute boys to sneak glances to, teachers to mock behind their backs. She just tended to develop a fixation for a problem she couldn't solve, or a theory that had caught her interest, and either would occupy the back of her mind, maddening and lingering, until she'd spend hours or days searching and solving, and trying and asking, until she could confidently say she knew all there was worth knowing about that topic. Only then could she dismiss those thoughts that gripped her. It was there that she came to love the wonders of the modern world, how intricate and detailed and interconnected everything was, if only people could see it. Physics led to engineering led to technology led to mathematics led to and ad infinitum.

She was fifteen when she was summoned to the Whitfield mansion. She remembers, like all things, it was the middle of autumn and school was in full swing, yet she received a phone call. She was to drop all that she was doing and arrive at a earliest date, and she acqueised. A private jet was already waiting for her the same day she had received the call and she flew half the world to California. She was not the only one to be called. Her older brother and sister had already arrived, as had a dozen of her blood relations. The next few days saw a few dozen more arrive - cousins, and Aunts and Uncles - if she was to be technical. Almost every Whitfield of any worth gathered for the first time within a 20-acre estate.

It was unprecedented, and a little daunting for Nicole, even as Elizabeth and Belle greeted her home. Gregory had stayed in his boarding school in France.

All of the Whitfields gathered within a vast chamber buried in the underground vaults of the mansion, and all the servants and retinues barred from entry. They were in the center of the estate, ley lines tracing energies where beats its magical heart, and patterns upon patterns of arcane sigils and stones dotted the walls, lights tracing paths safe to tread, the family's scrolls and tomes arranged orderly rows. Clearly, this ritual had anticipated for some time, and prepared for with a meticulous patience Nicole knew her parents possessed in abundance.

She read what she knew, for she was not yet a full-blooded mage, could make only guesswork as to the reasons for trappings older than her grandparents, but what she saw indicated a technique that would converge every type of magic and energy present into the one point of chamber. A melding of sorts made larger than life for all those attending now as while they were all of the name Whitfield, and all knew the alchemical arts that so defined the family, decades and centuries had diversified their skills to the point of a sensory jumble. Like crossing a street in Los Angeles and picking out people of different ethnicities. Too many that it gets confusing, yet still holding many underlying characteristics in common.

They began. The lights were shut off, a candle in the center of the congregation. Nicole could just make out her father, mother, then James and Lauren standing at intervals apart. Young Belle then, was not to be a part of their destiny. First, there was chanting, occult languages in different tongues reverberating through the walls and melding into one sonorous note. She does not know how long they had stayed there. She does not remember, she would admit uneasily, what had transpired in the darkness, amid hooded figures, and whispering fell things. The candle had guttered into a cold flicker, and a cackling, wet and heavy and inside.

Her arms burned, and her throat cracked with smoke. She hurt all over but her legs, and when she awoke, barely aware, the chamber was on fire and Elizabeth was carrying Nicole in her arms, a bag stuffed with scrolls strapped on her shoulders. They ran from the chamber, out the basement and the mansion as everything burned. Nicole watched the mansion crumble in flames. Her legs refuse and Elizabeth carried her to the waiting paramedics, and she decided she was dreaming.

The authorities would say it was a stray spark that started the fire. An unfortunate series of events led to this tragedy, the official statement would read, leading to 43 deaths, mostly from suffocation and localized within the chamber, except for one teenager that was rescued by a heroic maid. They applauded Elizabeth and shifted through the rubble, looking for survivors. They did not find Belle.

Gregory would go missing shortly thereafter.

She worried about Gregory and went into mourning, for Belle most of all. She was released from the hospital, a certified paraplegic, to Elizabeth and her family in the meantime, who were her legal guardians now. She saved what she could from the remains of her family's capital. The vultures had picked at everything long before she left the hospital. Through means legal and not so legal, her family's once vast fortune had dwindled, taken by rivals, and those seeking revenge or restitution. And perhaps it was for the best.

She had canceled her boarding school. There was an itch her brain could not scratch, and a hunch told her she would find her answers by staying. She soon discovered a side of her family that sickened her. They were corrupt, and perhaps that was not a revelation with how rich they were, but in their dealings lives were lost and ruined with the act of a single handshake, and people killed from one spoken word of her parents. She dug into the books, into the diaries and records saved from the fire. She talked to the lawyers and phoned business partners overseas. The Californian Whitfields had its hand in every pie in the city, state, and a significant number in the country and beyond.

Oil spill cover ups, land siezures from the poor, money laundering, arms trafficking, financing the local Mafia, and shaking hands with Mexican cartels. The Whitfields were far worse among the magical community, yet just as insidious, where an overarching authority non-existent. It was a headache to have it all revealed and heaped upon her in a short time, and she cut every connection she could and gave all she could to the authorities. As the only Whitfield left, she had that right, even if many of her family's erstwhile partners did not see it her way. She walked the streets now, instead of the halls of a mansion or an elite boarding school in a far-off country. She was here and now, and couldn't ignore what was in front of her, even as her magic began to die a slow death for no discernible reason.

Seek Knowledge. Wield Power.

Her family had its reasons for everything they've done, excuses more like. But it was something to say to let them sleep at night, and she couldn't say they were deluded. Their reasons almost felt right, like this was just the natural state of the world. The strong prey on the weak. Predators eat. Prey flee. Humans fought wars and died and gave birth. And Whitfields learned and gathered.

She woke up one night as she felt eyes watching her. Bellios stood at the foot of her bed, unscathed. Her powers were all but dead by then, and when she had attempted to wear the armor, the recurring psychic backlash left her sick and vomiting food for a week.

By the coaxing of Elizabeth, she decided to fly to Freedom City and resume her schooling. She was frustrated and without hope, disgusted by her dead family's activities, a cripple both in magic and legs, lugging an armor that did nothing but make her ill. Still perhaps she could find a solution in the city of heroes and start anew, far away from the death of her family and the toxic they left. So she transferred half the money she had inherited with Elizabeth and her family, as much as it is a pittance compared to what her family once held, it was a large sum for them and it felt like the right thing to do to thank them for all that they had done.

She flew out the next day.

She was eligible for Claremont, if just barely, and wasn't that cute.

For two years she was the most useless student to grace its halls. Stuck in a wheelchair and magic that fizzled pathetically, if she could even use it, she would have been kicked out if it weren't for her intelligence and ability to create tech and mystical devices. She brought with her the family scrolls, even if she could recall their contents easily enough, and could call on mystical energies that did not originate from within. Magic rituals and petty concoctions, she knew how to make them. Electronic riff-raff that would not have been out of place in a gadgeteer's arsenal.

But all the while, the familiar presence lay heavy upon her mind. It was the strongest pull yet, and now it was directed to Bellios. She let herself fall into that obsession, working for two years upon that construct of ancient arcana. She learned so much more than she would within the confines of a classroom, or the laughable practicums the teachers would give to her. She dreamed of bolts and runes, and incantations and coding. And when she was not buried within Bellios, within the confines of her work, she was formulating ways to improve it, to create more energy, more power, because it hungered.

For two years, barely anyone outside her scheduled classes saw her. During class, her presence was almost non-existent, her output just enough to pass.

But just before the graduation she rose from her fugue, as if she had fallen asleep or into a coma all these months and only woke up now. Groggy, head aching, her insides feeling like jelly, she looked up to take in her work.

And it was beautiful.

Personality & Motivations

Nicole is, if anything, inclined to extremes. When something deemed important should done, then it should be done to the fullest of one's abilities or not at all. She is analytical, perhaps a bit too cerebral at times, but mostly means well, especially regarding the well-being of those she meets. She tries to be friendly, taking the time to engage in small talk and get to know people before making judgments about them. In a similar manner, she prefers to have all the facts before committing on a plan of action. This does mean she is prone to taking too much time when presented with an abundance of information, perhaps even contradictory reports, until someone pushes her to act.

Perhaps as a way to atone for her family's wrongdoing, she has chosen to bear the mantle of a superhero, opposing those her parents would have gladly drink wine with. Like everything worth doing, she has taken no half-measures, loading Bellios with a multitude of capabilities and armaments, the better to be prepared.

Powers & Tactics:

Though not trained or experienced in fighting, Nicole's common sense lets her understand to fight where she is strong and her foes are not. She prefers to keep her distance, flying and invisible as she overwhelms her opponents through judicious use of firepower. When hemmed in or grounded, she will attempt to cut her way free from the fighting, blasting her way out or, when pressed, charging up her electrical aura in preparation for melee. Her arsenal also heightens her senses, encompassing machines and magic, which she can use to observe her opponents and perform reconnaissance undetected until she wishes to reveal her presence, usually through an opening salvo.

Complications:

And They Shall Come: Many small things go Nicole's way at just the right time, and just the right way, to make her life easier. In much the same way, she finds herself in situations that would seem contrived in any book or movie, yet leading to additional difficulties she must overcome. While these minor coincidences are merely irritating or helpful during her everyday, they are more disastrous during a serious superhero mission. There is a crawling, nagging feeling of being watched whenever they happen, though even her armor's sensors can find no trace, magical or otherwise, to confirm her suspicions.

Father Dearest: Her father isn't the nicest of people and just when Nicole had thought she had gotten rid of him, his ghost, or at least a very convincing simulacrum of it, has inhabited Bellios as its machine spirit. She has tried to get rid of it, but he unfortunately seems to be staying as an unwanted but essential component. Thankfully, he does seem more agreeable, seeing as she is his only heir. And while he wishes to see her alive and well, he cares not one whit for anyone not a Whitfield. This has sometimes resulted in a struggle between parent and child when their objectives conflict with each other, usually pitting risk anfthe acquisition of artifacts against her responsibility as a superhero (one other thing he cares little about). But his long term goals, if he even has one, are still a mystery.

Of course, in a contest between man and machine spirit, more often than not, it is not often clear who will win.

It Hungers War: Bellios is first and foremost a machine of war. Its pistons hum in anticipation of battle, and the monistic links blur the line between wearer and suit. When Nicole rages, it responds with greater power. When Bellios rages, she responds by pushing it to its limits. Additionally, it is very susceptible to the appearance of the Fae. A whiff of emission from those foul beings causes in it a single-minded bloodlust.

The Gift of Blood: Family legend traces their line stretches back to the age of Christian Rome, during the first centuries of the first millennium. During that time, the pope decreed the library destroyed. Unable to bear such wanton waste of knowledge, her ancestor had made a pact with an agent of a powerful being from another world. He would be given the ability to save the contents of the library, but he and his offspring must bear a price (or a blessing as the official version states), and a destiny to be fulfilled long after his death. Whatever the truth is, Nicole and those of her blood possess, without fail, a compulsion.

Knowledge, especially forbidden knowledge, is the sweetest water, and she occasionally finds herself using her powers to fulfill her family's quest. While non of her episodes have reached the two years working on Bellios, many smaller episodes are still smaller occurences, particularly during her heightened magical state while using her armor. Nicole's obsession has her pursue information above all else, usually by absent-mindedly hacking into databases when she is in the suit, though there are many other ways she may go about this. These seem like good ideas at the time, but done at the wrong time, and with the wrong systems, and a slip-up may land her in serious trouble.

The Sins of Family: Ever since finding out about her family's unsavory secrets, Nicole has endeavored to do good where they would do wrong. Still, there are those who see her as nothing more than the last Whitfield or a foolish girl, and who would seek to rid of her for revenge or opportunity. While there are many like this in the mundane world, it is the magical community who has suffered the most from her family's excesses. As few and isolated as they are, they have long memories.

And many ways to trace magic signatures. Whitfields and Halls, they say, are particularly distinct.

This Magic of Mine: Her magic isn't so hot when outside Bellios, understatement of the year. But her armor acts as a focus for magical powers, heightening it into a weapon of mass destruction. While most of her inner energy transfers seamlessly into its various systems, a leak is unavoidable sometimes, and her once uncontrollable yet pathetic magic turns into uncontrollable and disastrous magic. Though she may hold it for a time, risking her magic's side-effects, she must eventually discharge the energy whenever it surges. Yet a badly-timed spike could turn the tables on her very quickly.

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A negative Save is something you just don't want on a PL 10 character. I get the conceptual reasons for it, but you should probably make it low (PL-5 or so) rather than actually that low.

Noticeable is not a suitable Drawback for a character like this - her suit is Noticeable because it's a battlesuit!

Absorption isn't a good power - you shouldn't use it.

She's way over-caps - with +11 ATK and +17 Damage in her suit, she's PL 14 offensively! Note that area effects are capped at PL anyway.

By our House Rules, a third of your base Attack and Defense need to be actually paid for - so for example a character with +12 Attack with their main power needs to have at least 4 Attack bought and paid for. (So Starfire has +4 ATK and +12 with her Starbolts, or what have you).

What I would recommend for the concept you have for this character is something like this:

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Your PP spent for your abilities is off. You pay 1PP per point of the Ability Score, not the Ability Bonus.So you'd pay 2PP for Str, 4PP for Con, 14PP for Int, -2PP for Wis, and 2PP on Cha.

Alright. Edited.

I wanted to ask, what's the rule on Feats that would temporarily go over-caps? So for example, using All-out Attack on Damage 15 and 5 ATK, with a 5DEF bonus. At most that would create a PL 12.5 offense. Is that allowed?

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I wanted to ask, what's the rule on Feats that would temporarily go over-caps? So for example, using All-out Attack on Damage 15 and 5 ATK, with a 5DEF bonus. At most that would create a PL 12.5 offense. Is that allowed?

Feats like All-Out Attack, Power Attack, Defensive Attack, and so on are expressly allowed to "break" Caps, per our House Rules, though per those House Rules you can only shift values by +/- 5.

Keep in mind these feats don't really "break" caps, as you're shifting the overall bonuses around temporarily, with tradeoffs in other areas.